〈036〉
“There’s no way that’s true. My daughter definitely left in a carriage sent by the noble family to pick her up.”
The one who greeted me at Miss Reynold’s modest home was her mother. I’d heard her health wasn’t great, but perhaps thanks to the doctor I introduced, she looked relatively well.
It was a doctor recommended by Lord Winchester—someone often sought after by the knightly order due to frequent injuries. Apparently, he was good at both surgery and internal medicine.
“But the carriage I sent came back empty. They waited quite a while, but Miss Reynold never came out. They even knocked on the door, but no one answered.”
“That must’ve been because I had just returned from the market after Kate left for work. I went shopping, and she got into the carriage—I saw it with my own eyes. So where in the world could she have gone?”
At first, the old woman reacted as if she didn’t understand what I was saying. But now, she looked confused—and frightened. No matter how grown a child becomes, a mother’s worry is all the same.
“Mrs. Reynold, do you happen to remember what the carriage looked like?”
“It was a very fine carriage. Clearly from a noble family, anyone could tell.”
“Did Miss Reynold check where it was headed, or ask who sent it?”
“No, she didn’t. It was already waiting right in front of the house. The coachman opened the door as soon as he saw Kate, and she got in right away. I even waved goodbye to her.”
“Do you remember what the coachman looked like?”
“He looked… ordinary, I think…”
“Did he have a mustache?”
“No, I don’t think he had any facial hair…”
She trailed off uncertainly. But her uncertainty only confirmed it for me. The coachman I sent had a mustache so distinct no one would forget it: curled in perfect circles, it was unforgettable.
“Do you remember the color of the carriage? The one I sent had a green roof.”
“Oh… I’m not sure. It was raining, so I didn’t look up.”
She shook her head with uncertainty.
“But it wasn’t strange at all. It looked familiar to me, like I’d seen it many times before.”
Familiar?
Something about her saying the carriage felt familiar struck me as odd. I had sent a carriage for Miss Reynold a few times before—usually on her first day, when she didn’t know the route, or on bad weather days like today.
But not so often that her mother would find it familiar.
“You mean it was a carriage you’ve seen many times before?”
I asked the old woman again.
“Yes, now that I think about it, even the coachman looked familiar!”
She nodded with conviction—and I nodded too, now certain.
I had a good idea where Miss Reynold might be.
“On such a rainy day, what brings the Countess of Winchester all the way here?”
The Countess of Aytley greeted me coolly, fluttering her fan like nothing was wrong. The tea she had served had already gone cold—proof of how long she had kept me waiting in this drawing room. But she didn’t mention it.
“You already know why. Miss Reynold is here, isn’t she?”
Whether she chose to feign ignorance or not, I got straight to the point.
She had been rude, so I owed her no courtesy.
“Oh my, how quickly news travels.”
The Countess of Aytley didn’t flinch. She merely gave a dry smile, as if she’d been expecting me.
“Yes. Miss Reynold is currently tutoring our children. I suppose you’ll have to find yourself a new tutor.”
“She’s not tutoring them—she’s been kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped? What a dreadful word to use.”
“Of course she was. You pretended your carriage was from the Winchester estate and lured her here.”
“Not at all. We simply sent a carriage to her home, she got in, and she arrived here.”
“Oh really? And after arriving, did she not seem startled or say she wanted to leave?”
“Not at all.”
“She didn’t mention she got in the wrong carriage by mistake?”
“Hm… I don’t recall her saying anything like that. I simply welcomed her back and escorted her to the children’s study.”
“I’m sure that welcome was quite the scene.”
I glanced at the armed guards positioned in the room and let out a dry laugh. Normally, noble drawing rooms wouldn’t have guards standing around looking menacing like that.
They usually stood discreetly by the door or outside, not inside, brandishing swords as if daring anyone to try and escape.
“Very educational indeed. Kidnap a teacher, threaten them at swordpoint, and force them to tutor your children.”
“Oh dear, someone might actually believe you. Who would do something so frightening? Though I did hear some people sneak off with tutors like stray cats.”
She fluttered her feathered fan again. The fan itself was already irritating, but the smug smile she wore behind it made me want to scream.
I found myself reaching for the teacup without thinking. I caught the way her eyes flinched at the motion. So she thought the same thing I did.
‘Calm down. There are already enough rumors about the time I pulled her hair. If I throw tea in her face, I’ll be exiled from society for real.’
Honestly, I didn’t care about being exiled. I was born the daughter of a lowly baron and had never been invited to many social events before marrying into the Winchester family.
But for Daniel—who hadn’t even had his debutante season yet—I couldn’t risk ruining his future by getting myself blacklisted.
Suppressing my urge, I brought the teacup to my lips with a trembling hand. The Countess of Aytley relaxed just slightly as she saw me relent.
“I won’t say any more about how this happened—just return Miss Reynold.”
I put the teacup down calmly and made my demand.
“Oh my, but I told you, she’s currently in the middle of lessons.”
“A principled teacher like Miss Reynold would never accept a position here without even submitting her resignation.”
“I’ve dealt with her before. She’s not that principled. She didn’t resign from your house before starting here. Though I’m sure she won’t stay long.”
“I highly doubt it. Miss Reynold isn’t desperate enough to reapply to a toxic workplace like yours. I’ve offered her a very generous salary.”
“Toxic?”
“Oh, my apologies. I meant the worst possible working conditions. A student who physically assaults teachers, for example.”
“That was just a little accident.”
The fan in the Countess’s hand stopped fluttering. She stared at me with sharp eyes over its edge.
“Miss Reynold is clever. She knows it’s better for her future to teach the next Earl of Aytley than to waste time on a girl with no known lineage.”
“What did you say?”
“From your reaction, I suppose you heard me loud and clear.”
I had provoked her by bringing up her son’s violent tendencies, and in return, she struck back at Daniel’s unclear parentage with the cruelest words possible.
At that moment, my vision went white.
“You crazy woman!”
I threw the teacup at her face. Seeing her stunned expression, ruined makeup, and collapsed hairstyle—it was electric.
Ah, so this is why villainesses throw tea!
“You’re insane!”
And her ridiculous response, trembling in rage, completed the scene perfectly.
